CSEE W4824: COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE

Description

Computer architecture is the science and art of selecting and interconnecting hardware components to create a computer that meets functional, performance and cost goals. This course qualitatively and quantitatively examines computer design tradeoffs. We will learn, for example, how uniprocessors execute many instructions concurrently and why state-of-the-art memory systems are nearly as complex as processors. We will also learn how VLSI technology has evolved and influenced the design of ISAs and the internal working of processors. At the end of this course you will be able to appreciate the technical rationale behind the clock-speed race in the 90s, reason for its demise, the reasons why industry is moving towards multi-core chips, and what the future holds in store for us.
The course is suitable for students and practitioners with interests in:
- microarchitecture of uniprocessors, and chip multiprocessors
- full-system design
- software optimizations for high performance